Polls in the state closed at 8 p.m. Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin are also holding primaries Tuesday.

Murphy's campaign has raised about $13.5 million, an amount that far exceeds the fundraising of each of his GOP rivals.

Murphy was first elected in 2012 and became a prominent advocate for gun control following the shooting massacre that year at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown that killed 20 first-graders and six educators. He has gained a higher profile lately through his outspoken criticism of the policies of President Donald Trump.

___

7:30 p.m.

Early figures show voter turnout in Connecticut's primaries is low despite the large number of candidates vyi

Murphy was first elected in 2012 and became a prominent advocate for gun control following the shooting massacre that year at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown that killed 20 first-graders and six educators. He has gained a higher profile lately through his outspoken criticism of the policies of President Donald Trump.

___

7:30 p.m.

Early figures show voter turnout in Connecticut's primaries is low despite the large number of candidates vying to become their party's nominee in November.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says turnout was around 15 to 16 percent with 153 of Connecticut's 169 towns reporting as of about 3 p.m. Tuesday. That figure doesn't include the major cities.

Merrill says she ultimately expects about 20 to 25 percent of the state's roughly 1.2 million registered Democrats and Republicans will vote, similar to past primaries. Polls close at 8 p.m.

Unaffiliated voters are not able to vote in Connecticut's primaries.

The Republican primary for governor is expected t

7:30 p.m.

Early figures show voter turnout in Connecticut's primaries is low despite the large number of candidates vying to become their party's nominee in November.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill says turnout was around 15 to 16 percent with 153 of Connecticut's 169 towns reporting as of about 3 p.m. Tuesday. That figure doesn't include the major cities.

Merrill says she ultimately expects about 20 to 25 percent of the state's roughly 1.2 million registered Democrats and Republicans will vote, similar to past primaries. Polls close at 8 p.m.

Unaffiliated voters are not able to vote in Connecticut's primaries.

The Republican primary for governor is expected to be particularly close, given that five candidates are vying for the nomination. Merrill predicts the winner could take as few as 20,000 votes.

___

7 p.m.

The polls have closed in Vermont, where voters were picking nominees for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House.

Vermont and three other states, Connecticut, Minnesota and Wisconsin, are holding primaries Tuesday.

Four Democrats are seeking the party's nomination to run for governor. They include a former utility executive who, if elected, would become the nation's first transgender governor, and a 14-year-old boy who is taking advantage of a quirk in state law that does not require gubernatorial candidates to be registered voters.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is appearing on the Democratic ballot, even though he's already registered to run in November as an independent.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Peter Welch is also facing a primary challenge.

___

5:20 p.m.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission says no major problems have been reported across the state as voters cast their ballots in the primary.

The commission says statewide turnout figures for Tuesday's elections are not available yet.

Wisconsin is among four states holding primaries Tuesday. Connecticut, Minnesota and Vermont are the others.

In Milwaukee, the Journal Sentinel reports that election officials are projecting turnout to be 25 to 30 percent of the city's registered voters, which is about 75,000 people. The turnout is about 10,000 more than the 2014 gubernatorial primary.

Democrats are fighting to beat back Republican gains across the Midwest as the 2018 primary season roars through Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Tuesday's primary contests for governor, the Senate and the House will test the strength of President Donald Trump's fiery coalition against the energy of the Democratic resistance among working-class voters.

Meanwhile, accusations of domestic violence involving the Democratic National Committee's deputy chairman, congressman and attorney general candidate Keith Ellison, could undermine the "blue wave" in Minnesota.

In all, four states including Vermont and Connecticut will host elections on Tuesday as the 2018 primary season nears its final chapter.

Democrats appear particularly motivated in Wisconsin, where eight candidates want the chance to take on Republican Gov. Scott Walker. In Minnesota, former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants his job back.

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FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018, file photo, Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ned Lamont, left, and Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim wave at the end of debate in New Haven, Conn. Lamont is the party's endorsed candidate, while Ganim petitioned his way onto the Aug. 14 ballot. Democrats and Republicans go to the polls in the most crowded primary field in Connecticut's recent history, on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
- The Associated Press

Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ethan Sonneborn, who is a 14-year old student, shakes hands with Martha Gagner, who works for a brewery catering his election night party, in Winooski, Vt., Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. Sonneborn has taken advantage of a quirk in state law that doesn't require gubernatorial candidates to be registered voters. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
- The Associated Press

Marci Glaus holds her one-year-old son, Fredrick as she casts her vote during Wisconsin's primary election Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018 in Roxbury, Wis.Democrats are fighting to beat back Republican gains across the Midwest as the 2018 primary season roars through Wisconsin and Minnesota, two states where President Donald Trump's appeal among working-class voters threatens to upend decadeslong political trends this fall and beyond. (John Hart/Wisconsin State Journal via AP)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this May 31, 2018, file photo, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty speaks at a news conference in St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota Democrats are settling a three-way battle for governor in a stacked primary election, while former two-term Gov. Tim Pawlenty is seeking to win back his old job on the Republican side. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this Saturday, June 2, 2018, file photo, minutes after receiving the Republican Party endorsement for governor, Jeff Johnson pauses behind the stage, in Duluth, Minn. Johnson has been supportive of President Donald Trump. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this July 18, 2018, file photo, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., asks a question at a House Committee on Financial Services hearing in Washington. Ellison decided to leave Congress for a chance to make a difference as his state's attorney general, but an ex-girlfriend's late accusation of domestic abuse clouded what had been his race to lose. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this March 12, 2018, file photo, Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson speaks during an interview at the Capitol in St. Paul. Minnesota voters are confronting their busiest primary election in recent memory, with races for governor, both Senate seats and three congressional seats all on the ballot. The biggest unsettled question may be the Democratic primary to succeed Gov. Mark Dayton. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, Attorney General Lori Swanson and state Rep. Erin Murphy all have a path to victory entering Minnesota's primary on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this July 26, 2018, file photo, Republican U.S. Senate candidates Leah Vukmir, right, and Kevin Nicholson debate in Milwaukee. Nicholson, running as an outsider, is running against Vukmir, a 15-year veteran of the Legislature who had the state GOP endorsement. The Republican primary battle for a Wisconsin U.S. Senate seat pits two loyalists to President Donald Trump who agree on most of the issues. (Tyger Williams/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018, file photo, four of the eight Democratic candidates for Wisconsin's governor, from left Tony Evers, Matt Flynn, Mike McCabe, and Mahlon Mitchell stand on stage prior to a debate at the UWM MainStage Theatre in Milwaukee. Wisconsin's primary election will decide which Democrat challenges Republican Gov. Scott Walker this fall and whom Republicans back in a big-money race for U.S. Senate. (Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this Sunday, April 22, 2018, file photo, attorney Bryan Steil, a former driver for House Speaker Paul Ryan, announces he is running to succeed Ryan in Congress, in Janesville, Wis. House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement creates an opening in his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district for the first time in 20 years, fueling hopes among Democrats that they can pick up the seat that leans Republican. (Jake Magee/The Janesville Gazette via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this Wednesday, July 25, 2018, file photo, Randy Bryce answers a question during a debate with his opponent, Cathy Myers, at the Rock County 4-H Fair in Janesville, Wis. House Speaker Paul Ryan's retirement creates an opening in his southeastern Wisconsin congressional district for the first time in 20 years, fueling hopes among Democrats that they can pick up the seat that leans Republican. (Angela Major/The Janesville Gazette via AP, File)
- The Associated Press

FILE - In this Thursday, July 12, 2018, file photo, four of the eight Democratic candidates for Wisconsin's governor, from left, Josh Made, Kelda Helen Roys, Paul R. Soglin and Kathleen Vinehout stand on stage prior to a debate at the UWM MainStage Theatre in Milwaukee. Wisconsin's primary election will decide which Democrat challenges Republican Gov. Scott Walker this fall and whom Republicans back in a big-money race for U.S. Senate. (Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, File)
- The Associated Press